Each of the eight guests of honor had a chance to address
the audience. Birk spoke about the impact on his life made by
football and playing for Harvard and in the Ivy League. He praised
the ideals of the Ivy League and expressed his gratitude to Harvard
for the difference it has made in his life on and off the
field.

Matt Birk '98, the National Football League's director of
football development, graduated from Harvard with a degree in
economics in 1998. An offensive lineman, Birk earned All-Ivy League
and All-ECAC honors and was the first Crimson lineman to be
selected in the NFL draft since Roger Caron '85 in 1985.

The NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2012, Birk was
a standout center for the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens
from 1998-2012 and concluded his career by helping Baltimore to a
victory in Super Bowl XLVII. He spent the 2013 season working as an
NFL-NFLPA appeals officer.

In his new role with the NFL, Birk assists in developing
the game at all levels of the sport, from players to coaches to
front office personnel. He also assists in the administration of
NFL game day operations. Birk guides the continued evolution of the
Scouting Combine and Regional Combines as well as the annual
all-star games for aspiring NFL players, such as the Senior Bowl
and East-West Shrine Game.